Hi Saintsational......again. Its been a long time!

[StThomo]

Welcome back, GT!

Looking forward to reading your views, opinions and (hopefully) insights etc on here over the up and coming season.

Cheers Sainternist. All the best

[StThomo]

Is this really Grant?

Oh wow, celebrity!

Be nice to me Grant, I gave you some material for FC....you owe me

I remember SainterK. Keep up the good work.

[StThomo]

speaking of milney

all this talk about you wanting to give him the chop
now can be settled


good to see you back (i wasnt here during your last visits)

Firstly I love the guy. Secondly he is probably the best small specialist forward to ever play the game, thirdly he is undisputably the best snap-shot at goal the game has seen. However fourthly and most importantly I am about St Kilda and maximising potential. I told Milney that I would have traded him at the Ass Coaches wake (after they all had also been terminated). Milney called, wanted to see me and popped in at the pub. I saw it as an opportunity to challenge him and to take it on board and do something about the difference between his best and worst. I know he respected me and I didnt care if he didnt like me - I just wanted to niggle him until he delivered. It was crucial for our club. It was the only way I could affect his performance positively IMO. We have since talked about it and caught up at Roo's wedding.

[StThomo]

I can confirm that this is GT, I checked via twitter...

G'day grant, thanks for popping by, I won't blow smoke like the others about your playing career, but its nice to have you on board.

What do you think about Roo's extra year extension, will his knee hold up?

Hi Dragit & cheers. At his stage its the right decision. he could do further year by year contracts for 4 years if he wants to and his body holds up - and his mind. He is a supreme athlete.

[StThomo]

GT

Love your work, forthright in the media is something rare.... Some brilliant one liners... And your open condemnation of some of the AFL's decisions was something that kept me tuning in late Mondays, your frustrations were/are shared by many.

BigMart!! A blast from the past. How are you champ? More disclosure than condemnation. The AFL's lack of transparency and the way they treat fans is a disgrace IMO. Unfortunately most of the media are too insecure, paranoid, intimidated or afraid to report everything.

[StThomo]

The only thing i'd ever ask the "real" Grant Thomas is how did he go from the best CHB in the league into a spud who went from club to club..

mind boggling really....

Cheers BobMurray. In retrospect its has assisted my coaching and people management, leadership in business. Short story: Saints were broke, North needed to release Glendinning from CHB/CHF role, they offered Saints a fair bit of money and they took it to balance their books, it also suited me at the time as I was completely disillusioned with the leadership and decisions at the club and saw it as a chance to play in finals. especially after the Saints were not that keen to retain me and needed the money.Interestingly Ian Stewart didnt get the signed clearance forms to AFL House by midnight (it was after 2am he recalls as he was out with TJ I think) so technically I should not have been cleared. What I subsequently hadnt counted on was how much I loved the Saints and how homesick I became immediately. It was a terrible phase of my life but a great learning/maturing experience.

[Kate]

Quick question Grant. Do you think that our lack of a specialist fullback will have a significant imapact this year?

[StThomo]

Does Ahmed Saad really sleep in your garage?

Haha. Lot of myths in footy. he is close mates with my son Tyson. we had garage renovated into a granny flat because of 8 kids.

[StThomo]

Quick question Grant. Do you think that our lack of a specialist fullback will have a significant imapact this year?

Given there are not too many super full forwards maybe not but we still require a couple of power guys down there. Im still shitty we let Goose go. How handy would he have been over the last couple of years?

[BigMart]

Goose, X and Bally...... Three good humans.

We did pick up Lovett, Jesse Smith and Andrew Pattison as replacements. The 08/09 drafting period ate away at the fabric of loyalty shared by the core you introduced to AFL, who seemed to be bonded by a destiny at the time.

I am great, 09 and particularly 2010 were cruel to saints people, and I think an opportunity has passed us by. We have a nice young group of lads... But compared to the core of kids you groomed, they are not elite.

BTW how would you have liked to have an 09 season as coach, where injuries weren't a factor? I believe only injury stopped us from achieving absolute glory in 04/05 especially 05.

[Eastern]

Hey Thomo, There's still a group of us who have a quiet beer in the Whitten Bar prior to the start of our Home games. Why don't you come up and jion us one day/night, especially on the occasion that Roger ventures over from Perth for his once a year visit? !!

[Eastern]

It's threads like this that made SAINTSATIONAL a fantastic place to visit. Can we get back to that? Or better still, can we move forward and make it even better than it once was !!

[St Ick]

Ok, I'm going to say it. There are quite a few threads on here that turned into GT bagging sessions as it seems you like to sink the boots in to us (us being St Kilda) or at least have in the past. Whilst its fantastic for you to be on a forum like SS, I dont get the hero worshipping on here since it was rare in the past. No offense intended to anyone, but I can be pretty hard to please.

Maybe its just a sign of your passion for everything Saints but have there been times over the past year or two when you have have been disillusioned with the club? Don't get me wrong, happy to have another Saints fan part of the discussion, but just find it hard to ignore a lot of that stuff.

Also on Milne, was the trade talk just an empty threat or were you genuinely going to trade what you call one of the best small forwards in history (or words to that affect).

I'm also very keen to hear your thoughts on all of the Luke Ball/Chris Judd rumours re the drafting of each kid. It was only years afterwards that I read about some officials interest in Judd.

Finally, after this somewhat controversial post, its great to have you on board and I hope you can continue to contribute to this forum (and ignore the mindless personal issues between maybe half a dozen posters who seem to derail every meaningful discussion).

[asiu]

gt ,
would u have a go at clearing up the reported
'exit banger out /in' comment ?

... and do u think 'loz' (her style of work) was a positive approach to the development of young men in the environment of a footy club ?

[stinger]

Why don't you post a photo of yourself with today's newspaper just to rule out any fraudulence.

... or name those eight kids of yours,

... or tell us Rod Butterss middle name,

... or tell us why Milney chose to grub that shot for goal along the ground in the '09 GF...?

it's grant ffs...

[stinger]

Now Grant where was it we left off again, can you bring me up to speed?

Hovering around court rooms for memory. Hope you are well and over your ailments. All the best.

more like stalking you around court rooms....why else would he be there??? ...poor show really...

[SainterK]

So glad you've made 'peace' with the footy club...

It was about time.

Don't get me wrong, I won't pretend to agree with everything you say...and I must say, I am curious if you ever read the reactions on here after you let off some bombs in the media regarding the Saints or particular players...

However you love the RWB and I'm glad the club realises it needs those kind of people in the fold, even if you are the uncle at the dinner table who chucks a firework into the conversation occasionally.

Interesting that you say about Scott asserting himself, there has been a lot of discipline since he has arrived and a 'get on board or get out' approach, and he has seen a good 20+ players turned over under his reign.

Maybe this cuddly smurf knows how to be angry smurf...

[StThomo]

Hey Thomo, There's still a group of us who have a quiet beer in the Whitten Bar prior to the start of our Home games. Why don't you come up and jion us one day/night, especially on the occasion that Roger ventures over from Perth for his once a year visit? !!

I'll keep it in mind

[plugger66]

Hey Grant saw your daughter play school footy this year as my daughter was also playing . Got to be one of the funniest games i have ever seen played. Good to see your whole family there having a laugh. Has Ally got more potential at school or footy?

[StThomo]

gt ,
would u have a go at clearing up the reported
'exit banger out /in' comment ?

... and do u think 'loz' (her style of work) was a positive approach to the development of young men in the environment of a footy club ?

Pretty much as it was meant. Banger selects himself in or out based on his performance, mindset and body. Clearly he selected himself in. In essence it was his decision not mine but I was making it clear that the days of the club giving preferential and reverential treatment to individuals was over. That mentality had cruelled the club for decades by lauding the performances of individuals. We needed to take the strongest stance possible and draw a line in the sand that we are a team from now on. No disrespect to Harv's or any other perceived legend of the club - just a "moment-in-time" fact that they were embarrassed about anyway.
No comment

[StThomo]

So glad you've made 'peace' with the footy club...

It was about time.

Don't get me wrong, I won't pretend to agree with everything you say...and I must say, I am curious if you ever read the reactions on here after you let off some bombs in the media regarding the Saints or particular players...

However you love the RWB and I'm glad the club realises it needs those kind of people in the fold, even if you are the uncle at the dinner table who chucks a firework into the conversation occasionally.

Interesting that you say about Scott asserting himself, there has been a lot of discipline since he has arrived and a 'get on board or get out' approach, and he has seen a good 20+ players turned over under his reign.

Maybe this cuddly smurf knows how to be angry smurf...

Always been at peace with footy club. I have been very disappointed at the perception and innuendo. I had a dispute with certain individuals for certain reasons - not the club.

[StThomo]

Hey Grant saw your daughter play school footy this year as my daughter was also playing . Got to be one of the funniest games i have ever seen played. Good to see your whole family there having a laugh. Has Ally got more potential at school or footy?

hahaha. She is genuinely tough - like her mum. She loves it. School isnt her favourite pursuit but I reckon she is going to give year 12 a serious crack to see what she can achieve.

[plugger66]

Dont want to sound like i am sucking up to you Grant but what you and the the Saints did for one of my best mates family when their mother died after being hit by a car was one of the best things any footy club could do. Arranging for players and yourself to visit the family at their home, getting the family in the rooms after the game even though we had lost to the WB and even having a tribute on the banner that day. Craig still has the photo taken that day on his fridge.

[joffaboy]

Dont want to sound like i am sucking up to you Grant but what you and the the Saints did for one of my best mates family when their mother died after being hit by a car was one of the best things any footy club could do. Arranging for players and yourself to visit the family at their home, getting the family in the rooms after the game even though we had lost to the WB and even having a tribute on the banner that day. Craig still has the photo taken that day on his fridge.

Hey P66, nice post. The thing that s.hits me most about football reporting is the negative gossip and the faux "scandals" about player behaviour when the type of gestures you outlined above would be performed by every AFL club for their supporters (not diminishing the importance of the above by any means, hope you get my drift).

I can see why Grant Thomas would want to be shot of the negative gossip and innuendo. The actions above are rarely reported because, hey, good news stories dont sell advertising I suppose.

[asiu]

ta on the first.

my respect to your 'no comment'
on the second.

leaving that and rocket rod aside ,
what would you change
(if anything) given hindsight about how you went about things ?